Generally, this invention relates to vacuum cleaners. In particular, the invention relates to a removable dirt separation system for a vacuum cleaner. Moreover, the invention relates to a latch assembly for a bagless vacuum cleaner.
Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Typically, these vacuum cleaners include an upper housing pivotally mounted to a vacuum cleaner foot. The foot is formed with a nozzle opening defined in an underside thereof and may include an agitator mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor and fan may be mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle opening. The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and produces a flow of dirt-laden air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing.
In conventional vacuum cleaners, the dirt laden air is ducted into a filter bag supported on or within the vacuum cleaner housing. Alternatively, bagless vacuum cleaners duct the flow of dirt-laden air into a dirt separation system having a dirt cup which filters the dirt particles from the airflow before exhausting the filtered airflow into the atmosphere. Various dirt separation systems have been used on bagless vacuum cleaners to separate the dirt particles from the airflow. For example, some vacuum cleaners have dirt cups with outer walls comprising a filter material. Locating the filter material along the outer walls has the distinct advantage of permitting the use of a large amount of filter material similar to the amount of material in a filter bag. However, such vacuum cleaners have a disadvantage of not permitting the operator to view the accumulated material within the dirt cup. Other vacuums, place the filter element in an interior portion of the dirt cup. Such dirt cups do not take advantage of the larger surface available on the outer wall of the dirt cup. In addition, placing the filter internally in the dirt cup does not allow the operator to view the filtered air flow which exits the filter. Additionally, other vacuum cleaners have a filter assembly comprising a filter screen and filter element forming a lid of the dirt cup. A disadvantage to this type of dirt cup is that the filter assembly must be removed to empty the accumulated particles in the dirt cup. An additional disadvantage to this type of dirt cup is that the fine particles which accumulate between the filter element and screen cannot be removed from the filter assembly without removing and disassembling the filter assembly.
What is needed therefore, is a dirt separation system that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a latch assembly for a removable dirt separation system. The latch assembly includes an actuator having an latch opening defined therethrough pivotally mounted to a lid of the dirt separation system. The latch assembly further includes a latch positioned beneath the actuator and having a latching surface which is operable to engage a catch on a vacuum cleaner housing. A latching surface of the latch extends through the latch opening. Moving the actuator in a first direction causes the actuator to disengage the latching surface of the latch from the catch and place the latch assembly in a disengaged position. Moving the latch in the first direction causes the latching surface of the latch to pass through a latch opening defined in the actuator to place the latch assembly in a return position.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a latch assembly. The method includes the step of disengaging a latching surface of a latch from a catch by moving an actuator in a first direction into contact with the latch. The method further includes the step of returning the latching surface into contact with catch. The method yet further includes the steps of moving the latching surface through a latch opening defined in the actuator in response to the moving step and maintaining the position of the actuator in response to the moving step.